Lady Felicea of Emeryia
by LadyFelicea
Summary: It was the grandest moment in a lady's life. To glide down the great staircase in the Queen's ballroom, all eyes upon you, and be presented to the kingdom of Tortall's court. It was the moment all young girls and women alike dreamt of, all women save one.
1. Lady Felicea of Emeryia

It was the grandest moment in a lady's life. To glide down the great staircase in the Queen's ballroom, all eyes upon you, and be presented to the kingdom of Tortall's court.

It was the moment all young girls and women alike dreamt of, all women save one.

Lady Felicea of Emeryia, a young woman of 19, stood in the outside chambers, alongside four others whom were to be presented together. She was a pretty girl, pale skinned with a slight build. Soft grey-blue eyes framed by long lashes showed little of the determined nature that lay beneath the surface. Her shoulder length hair, darkest brown in colour, was swept up in an elegant bun, slight wisps falling across her face.

Brushing distractedly at the loose strands, she did not join in the nervous titterings of the waiting ladies, instead remaining silent, steadfastly staring ahead at the large oak doors which until now, had divided her life from the court's, whilst her heart beat painfully against her ribcage.

She was not nervous for the obvious reasons the four ladies surrounding her were – a bad debut meant no decent man would ever court you, or so these young naïve girls believed. Lady Felicea did not care for a suitor, her one wish as she entered the infamous court life was to meet a knight, a true knight and learn of their experiences, to hear tales of the life she could have followed had fate led her down a different path.

For as long as she could remember, Lady Felicea's, Flick to her close friends, one wish in life was to become a lady knight and help protect the realm she grew up in. Her parents had readily encouraged her, even hiring a manservant to teach her the basics of swordfighting, archery and other knightly tasks. Before long it became apparent that she had true potential. At the age of 6, even though it was more than half her size, Flick was able to string and shoot a longbow, methodically and accurately hitting the target's bulls eye.

After The Accident, however, her lessons ceased, abruptly and brutally.

An orphaned child, she was passed around her fief like an unwanted present, until she was eventually uploaded onto an unknown aunt, Lady Marianne. A cruel and heartless woman, she put a stop to Flick's lessons, forbad her from attempting a knighthood and forced her to attend the Mithran Cloisters, throw away her former life and become a lady.


	2. A True Lady

Flick's four companions all moved surreptitiously toward the doors, quickly checking themselves a final time before slowly, one by one, entering the grand ballroom. Startled from her reverie, Flick hurriedly stepped into line and had time to draw a sharp breath before she was ushered forward. The silence was heavy in the crowded hall as all heads turned upwards to inspect the newcomer. She dimly heard the chief herald announce "Lady Felicea of Emeryia."

Clutching the banister tightly in a clammy hand she descended the stairs, resolutely refusing to glance either left or right, her eyes fixed steadfastly upon the royals, the two people she had so desperately wanted to serve.

"...Lady Felicea of Emeryia, may you always grace these halls." Glancing up at the king and queen from her low curtsy, Flick couldn't help but sigh in submission. The moment of truth was over. Until now she had always held a small glimmer, a flame of hope that somehow, anyhow, she would be able to leave the convent and train as a knight. She had no care as to how old she would be in the process, she would've been happy to be training at the age of 30. But now in the face of her presentation, that small flame had been extinguished. Now, she was truly a lady.


	3. Loisei

The ball in honour of the five ladies was in top form and Flick had had enough. Her two close friends, Lady Rilla of Imlay and Lady Tienne of Rosslin had long been engaged in dance and Flick was bored. Unlike her two friends, who had jumped at the chance to dance with the 'handsome lads,' Flick spent her time, dodging the men, refusing to let any of them catch her eye and ask her to partner them. She couldn't take much more of this though. She had to _really _escape.

Moving slowly so to attract little attention, she fled the room, unaware that a single green-eyed figure was watching her every move.

_This is more like it_, Flick thought contentedly, as she wandered the deserted corridors of the kingdom. The surrounding walls were covered with paintings of past royals and intrigued, Flick drew closer to the portraits of the present rulers, Jonathan of Conte and his wife, Thayet. Flick sighed. There was no doubt about it, they were the most handsome couple she had ever seen. _It's not fair, I don't want to be standing here staring at paintings of you, I want to be serving you._

Flick turned away abruptly as a disturbance around the corner reached her ears. Curious, she followed the sound. Rounding the corner, her eyes widened as she took in the scene that lay before her.

A young girl of about 11, with messy dirty-blonde hair was crouched, her hands held protectively about her skinny frame as a tall, foreboding figure stood over her, flaying her. Flick's senses came to her in a flash, and fury overtook her. She strode forward determinedly.

"What do you think you are doing? Stop that at once." The person turned, a whip hanging from her hand. It was a lady, a terrifying figure of a lady. Dark greasy hair hung before brown, beady eyes which were narrowed to dagger points.

"Get out of here,"she scowled, "I'm in the middle of teaching this brat a lesson."

"How dare you whip a child. Leave her this instance." Flick was trembling with fury, never had she believed such cruelty was possible. And she knew cruelty. She had lived with her aunt Lady Marianne long enough. The lady grinned maliciously.

"One problem, the brat belongs to me, I can do whatever I want."

In a split second, Flick knew what she had to do. Retrieving her purse, she stepped towards the lady. "Not anymore. I'll buy her."

"You?" the lady sneered, looking down her nose at Flick's clothing. "A Lady? What do _you _need a commoner child for?"

Flick had no idea.

"She can assist me with my clothes and duties. Here," Flick offered the lady a small amount of money, "this will cover her." The lady snatched the money, counting it greedily.

"Fine, take her, but you'll need this, " she jeered, offering Flick the whip in return, "if you want to keep her in line." Flick flinched in disdain.

"Never," she gasped, "I will _never_ whip anyone."

"Fine," the lady pocketed the whip, "good luck, _milady._" With that, she hurried away down the corridor.

Flick turned to see the girl, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, huddling in the corner. "Come here," Flick said gently, extending her hand. The girl cowered, eyes wide with fear.

"It's all right, I promise I won't hurt you and I certainly shall _never_ whip you." The girl took a few tentative steps forward until she stood before Flick. Flick crouched down to her level.

"What's your name?" The girl stared at her, remaining silent. "Okay, we'll start with mine then. I'm Felicea of Emeryia, but my friends call me Flick." She deliberately left out her title, no need to scare the girl any more than she already was.

"I...I'm Loisei, I have no friends," the girl announced in a timid voice.

"Loisei," Flick said brightly, "that's a lovely name." Loisei glowed. "And as to friends, you've got one now."

"You, lady?" Flick nodded, whilst glancing over Loisei's thin frame. Her neck and face were lined with heavy bruises and her clothing was a shift dress that looked like it had never been washed. "Now, how about we get you out of those clothes, into a bath and then into a bed? What do you say to that?" Loisei nodded vigourously. Thankfully, Flick's rooms were just down the corridor and she guided her young charge there.

Suddenly she remembered the ball. She realised she would have to return now before Rilla and Tienne noticed she was gone. "Loisei, I have to leave you for a little while, there's a bath set up in my room, use it. You'll find some clothes laid out on the bed, they'll be too big but will do for now. I'll be back soon I promise."


	4. The Realm's Most Powerful Healer

Flick saw Loisei safely in to the room and then left, hurrying down the hallway, before collapsing against the wall. _Am I mad, _she thought briefly, _I just hired myself a helper. I don't even know what I need her for! _But she knew why she'd done it. She'd experienced too much bullying in her childhood to let it pass now.

"And here I was believing that Kel was the only one who cared so much for commoners," a dry voice behind her remarked. Swinging abruptly, startled, Flick found herself staring into a pair of twinkling emerald eyes. Stepping back hurriedly, she gasped, recognising the newcomer as Sir Nealan of Queenscove, the realm's most powerful healer. Performing a low curtsy she glanced up at him through lowered lashes. Tall, fair-skinned and lean, his emerald eyes were obscured by light brown hair that was swept back from a widow's peak. He was incredibly handsome.

"Sir Nealan," she murmured graciously, cringing on the inside at the ladylike image she presented.

"Call me Neal," he stated, a pained expression gracing his features, "_no-one_ calls me Nealan." She swallowed. That was simply asking too much she thought, deciding instead to settle with 'sir.'

"So why, may I ask, are you hiding away here with commoners whilst the other ladies dance their way through all those poor fellows upstairs?" Surprised to hear a knight talk so freely to a noble lady, especially one of his stature, Flick gaped at him, though she was secretly relieved and gratified. Though he was infinitely higher in birth than herself, he was speaking to her on an equal level, _lower even_, she thought smiling. It also showed that he certainly had no intentions to court her. Maybe he was the knight that she could learn from without getting caught up in any romantic business.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, taking her silence as indignation. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's not that, sir, it's just... I thought all knights I met would only see me as a potential wife, it's nice to know I was wrong."

"_Neal_. Sir makes me feel old and I'll have you know, I'm only 26. And in answer to that, not all knights are that pretentious."

Flick gasped in horror. "I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect - ." She blinked, he was laughing, his eyes sparkling in mirth.

"Don't worry, I was teasing. Now, you never answered my question." Seeing her puzzled expression he hurried to elaborate. "why you're down here."

"Oh, well to tell you the truth, I don't much care for parties and balls. They're all the same deal, men eyeing you, men chasing you. It gets ridiculously tedious after a while."

"I can imagine. Well, actually I can't," he added as an afterthought, grinning lopsidely. His gaze turned quizzical. "But isn't that the reason you become a lady? To go to parties and find a suitor?"

"It is if you actually want to become a lady," she muttered fiercely. Seeing his curious look she shook her head, as much to clear it as to stop the conversation. "Never mind, sir," she said, angry at herself for almost revealing her feelings.

He let it pass. But not the naming. "_Neal," _he stated, exasperated. She bit her tongue to keep from laughing, she'd heard of his infamous impatience, it was fun to watch him struggling to conceal it. He changed the subject abruptly.

"So, who was the girl?"

"I don't really know. Her name's Loisei. I heard shouting while I was wandering, while I was hiding I guess you can say, so I went to see what the commotion was." Fury gripped her heart as she recalled the scene she had just witnessed. "A lady was beating her, hidiously, so I interfered. I paid for her and then took her to my room to clean herself up. I would have stayed with her but I thought I should probably return to the party once more before Tienne and Rilla get into a frenzy trying to find me."

"She was beaten you say?" Flick nodded, her jaw clenched in anger at the thought. Sir Neal looked thoughtful. "Would you like me to check her? Make sure she's not too badly hurt?" Flick felt some of the tension leave her body.

"Would you, sir?" she asked gratiously 

"Of course, but I guess I'd better return to the to-do first before folks start questioning my whereabouts." He extended his arm. "Will you accompany me, Lady..er?"

"Felicea of Emeryia."

"I'm sorry, in my self absorbed state I never asked. Lady Felicea of Emeryia, I shall check... Loisei, did you say? But first, I promise to keep men from chasing you if you are willing to join me." His eyes were full of mischief and she grinned up at him.

"My pleasure, _sir_." He threw up his hands in mock despair before leading her from the room.

"_Please, _call me Neal."


	5. Getting to know you

"At your presentation, I was watching you and I saw your face as you knelt before the king. You don't like him?" Neal asked/inquired quietly.

The pair were sitting beside Flick's bed, talking in low whispers. They had returned briefly to the party, chiefly to console their friends as to their disappearances and then they had left as quickly as possible, separately, before meeting at Flick's quarters. There they had found Loisei, sprawled upon Flick's bed, fast asleep. Not willing to wake her, Neal had given her a tentative lookover, healing a few open wounds and decreasing the swelling of her numerous bruises, before placing her under a sleeping spell - she would have an uninterrupted sleep, he explained to Flick.

"It's not that, it's just..." Flick faltered. _How could she tell him without giving away the truth? _He was looking at her, curiousity filling his green eyes. "I was nervous, I'd never been in such grand company before." _Pathetic, _she berated herself, _but it would have to do, for now at least._

He seemed to accept her explanation, he was nodding, a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. "Jon has that effect, I forget what it was like when _I _first met him, a mere three year old, oblivious to the true respect a liege should show to his king..." Flick grinned at his drammatic anecdote, biting back a laugh as an image of Sir Neal as a toddler sprang to mind. She was amazed, she had known this man for little more than a couple of hours, and already she felt so comfortable in his company, as if she had known him from birth. His next question showed he obviously felt the same.

"Are you sure you've never been at court before?" he asked. "I feel I already know you."

She laughed, "I was just thinking the same thing. But no, I've never been here. At least... not that I'm aware of." She frowned as an image of flashed through her mind. A tolling bell in the distance announced the night hour.

"Well, I believe that's my signal to take my leave," Neal said, groaning as he stood up and headed to the door. He turned back. "Now, Lady Felicea, seeing as we appear to know each other so well, I think it's only right that you call me Neal. No more of this 'sir' business," he grinned. She laughed again, the image fading as she did so. Opening the door, she showed him out, almost forgetting her manners and hurriedly sinking into a curtsy.

"We'll see." Turning back to her bed, she smiled wryly. _Now where exactly am I meant to sleep?_


	6. Breakfast meetings

Flick awoke abruptly to a sharp pain shooting up her spine. She gasped, disorientated, before realising that she was lying on the floor of her room. Sitting up and stretching, she found a pair of brown eyes watching her from the bed.

"Hello there, Loisei. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes ma'am," the girl said solemnly. Flick looked over her briefly. Sir Neal's healing had certainly done the trick. Only a few bruises remained, the only evidence of the treatment that Loisei had endured.

"Please, call me Flick, or at the very least Felicea." She laughed silently then, realising that she sounded exactly like a certain green-eyed healer. "Now, how about we get you some proper clothing and then I'll take you to breakfast."

"Ok." Loisei's vocabulary seemed to extend to two words.

"Now, who have you got there, Flick?" A soft voice inquired. Walking into the dining room, Flick was intercepted by her two friends, Rilla and Tienne. She'd barely spoken to them the night before, except to tell them she was leaving the ball. They had been too occupied with their dancing partners. By the looks on her friends' faces, they had a lot to talk about.

The question had come from the shorter of the two girls, Tienne. Blue-eyed and pale-skinned, Lady Tienne of Rosslin gave all the appearance of a timid young lady and, in most cases she was. But Flick felt sorry for anyone who wronged her, when riled, her friend had a fiery temper.

"Rilla, Tienne, this is Loisei. Loisei, my friends." Loisei gave a slight curtsey. Flick grinned, she'd seen her practising while they were waiting in line for new clothes.

"Nice to meet you, Loisei," Rilla said, laughing, "come and join us for breakfast, you must be starving." Rilla of Imlay, Flick's other best friend, was nothing short of a beauty. With long blonde hair, hazel eyes and pale skin, she was the picture of perfection. She had the liveliest temperament and, whilst Tienne attracted people by her sweetness, Rilla attracted people by her high energy and love of life. The trio had met on Flick's first day at the convent and had been inseparable ever since, they were the more unconventional ladies of the Mithran Cloisters.


End file.
